MR MONK GOES TO KINDERGARTEN
by XFilesIBelieve
Summary: Monk and Sharona go undercover at an elementary school. Germs and children don't mix well for Monk.
1. Ch1

Disclaimer: I don't own MONK or USA Network or anything having whatsoever to do with this show at all.*SOB* !!! My life sucks! Ok not really.  
  
Note: This is actually my first MONK story but I posted "Mr. Monk and the Rainstorm" first because it was shorter.  
  
MONK  
  
"Mr. Monk Goes to Kindergarten"  
  
Five-year old Bethany Miller and Julie Simpson sat on a brick wall in front of their elementary school, Wade Elementary.  
  
"You're sure Bethany's mom is going to pick you guys up right after school?" their kindergarten teacher, Ms. Walker had asked them.  
  
"Of course!" they'd replied in unison.  
  
Now they sat together chewing bubble gum and playing with each other's hair. Julie started tickling Bethany. Bethany started laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.  
  
"Stop!" she gasped. Julie began chasing her down the sidewalk.  
  
"Hey! We gotta stay here and wait for my mommy" Bethany protested.  
  
"Oh come on! Let's go play on the slide, just one slide for both of us?" Julie begged, "Please?"  
  
"Ok, race ya!"  
  
Bethany took off for the playground in a sprint, her light-up sneakers flashing. The two girls took their turns on the slide. Just as they were going to start back, a man popped out from behind the jungle gym. Bethany swallowed and tugged at Julie's arm. Julie stopped giggling and looked up. The man loomed over them eclipsing the sun so all they saw was a shadow. But they didn't miss the glinnt of the knife he had pulled from his jeans pocket. The girls opened their mouths to scream, a little too late, the man covered each of their mouths with a hand and only 100 yards away, Bethany 's mom wondered why her daughter was late.  
  
**********  
  
Adrian Monk hurried Sharona Fleming into the police station. "C'mon Sharona" he protested.  
  
"Relax Adrian" she said glancing at her watch, "it's 9:59 we'll be on time!"  
  
"But we have to be exact. Right on the ten o'clock mark."  
  
Sharona sighed and gave her beautifully shining curly blond hair a shake. Her electric blue eyes flashed in mild frustration at Monk's obssessiveness. Being his private nurse and assistant, she was used to his shall we say "idiosyncrasies". Monk's obsessive compulsive disorder ranged from fear of tall buildings to a fear of milk. Life with Adrian Monk could be difficult but never boring.  
  
She straightened her tight black low-cut knit top and reached for the door of Captain Stottlemeyer's office at Monk's request. He didn't want the doorknob germs on his hand.  
  
"Sharona, Monk. Come in." the Captain greeted them. Sharona sat down while Monk remained standing.  
  
The Captain was a tall, broad-shouldered man with wavy light-colored hair and matching moustache.  
  
"I know you tow have been very busy with all the cases being handed to you lately. But we really got something special here."  
  
Sharona shifted in her seat, "What is it?"  
  
"Wade Elementary School, two days ago. Two five year old girls were murdered-throats slashed, their bodies found in a dumpster behind the cafeteria."  
  
Sharona put a hand to her mouth, "Oh my-"  
  
She glanced over at Monk who was swallowing hard.  
  
"Any...any..uh anybody see anything?" Monk stuttered out.  
  
"Nope. We have no eyewitnesses at the moment. The Captain answered. "But."he began with a glance at the two of them, "we do have a plan."  
  
He turned to Sharona, "You studied education for some time in college, correct?"  
  
"Yeah." Sharona nodded," Before I went into nursing.whoa, wait a minute," she started as she began to catch on.  
  
"Yep" the Captain nodded, "you're going undercover."  
  
"What?" Sharona cried.  
  
"As a substitute kindergarten teacher."  
  
"What?!!"  
  
"And Monk will be your teaching assistant" the Captain finished. "WHAT?!?" Adrian and Sharona shouted in unison. 


	2. Ch2

The Captain smiled, "You heard what I said. And Monk will be better able to work the case as just a teaching assistant. And with your background in teaching, Sharona, you two should get along just fine."  
  
"Two semesters Captain-is the extent of my experience." She paused for a moment looking over at Monk. "Adrian and small children, I don't know about that mix,." she muttered trailing off as she caught sight of Monk's expression.  
  
His face was frozen in a sort of terrified and mental breakdown look.  
  
"Ch.chi.children." he murmured, "Bacteria city!" he managed to get out. He looked up about ready to faint.  
  
"Adrian!" Sharona cried.  
  
"Ww-wipe!" he squeaked.  
  
"But Adrian, you didn't even touch anything" Sharona said.  
  
"WIPE!" Adrian insisted loudly.  
  
"Ok, ok hold on." Sharona dug in her purse for a wet wipe and gave it to him. He wiped his hands furiously for several moments while the Captain and Sharona stared at him.  
  
"Should be fun," the Captain said in the silence.  
  
Monk paused from his wiping and Sharona turned to face the Captain.  
  
"What???" the Captain cried.  
  
WADE ELEMENTARY 8:45 AM  
  
Monk clutched the wall tightly with his eyes closed.  
  
"Adrian, it's ok. You've made it through crowds before" Sharona said gently hoping to pry Adrian from the safety of the wall in the elementary school's main hallway. The hallway was a bustle of activity as the kids were ushered in off of buses.  
  
"Nn.no. I can't. You go without me." Monk said not moving an inch.  
  
Sharona looked at him softly, "Adrian, I couldn't do this without you."  
  
Monk opened his eyes, "Really? You-you mean that?"  
  
"Of course." Sharona offered him her elbow. He grasped it tentatively and then held on tight as they barraged through the mass of children.  
  
Suddenly a little boy came at Monk head-on. Monk freaked at the possible thought of anyone touching him, especially a child and hid behind Sharona. Sharona jumped, surprised at how close he was to her. The kid barreled past them oblivious to Monk's reaction. Monk backed away from Sharona hesitantly.  
  
"Ss-sorry, kid and noise" he threw his hands up in despair, "I don't know if I can make it through the day Sharona" he looked about ready to cry.  
  
"No sweat Adrian," she assured him, "kindergartners only go half a day. Don't worry, it'll get better." She ushered him into their classroom.  
  
Monk smiled gratefully at her as she showed him a place he could sit and re- cooperate. For the first time that day he noticed how nice Sharona looked for her first day on the job. She was wearing a lavender short-sleeved top and a flowery white and lavender flowing skirt with white pumps.  
  
She turned and saw him looking at her. He quickly looked away, embarrassed. She put her arm on his shoulder and led him into the classroom.  
  
Taking in his surroundings, Monk saw kids everywhere. They were sitting at mini-tables, they were playing Legos on the floor, they were writing on the chalkboard, and one child was running around the classroom screaming bloody murder for no apparent reason. Monk cringed and pulled his navy-blue suit- jacket closer to himself.  
  
Sharona plopped her stuff down on the huge teacher's desk which frankly intimidated Monk greatly. The thing looked like a stretch of beach. Calmly, she brushed a few stray curly strands of hair behind her ear and breathed in deep. The room had become a bustle of noise.  
  
"Attention!" Sharona called out.  
  
The children continued their various racket-making.  
  
Monk tried to help her, "Um..uh..QUIET.please."  
  
Sharona looked at him funny.  
  
"QUIET!!" She shouted and the room froze in dead silence. Monk looked impressed.  
  
"Now that's better" she said calmly, "would everyone please take a seat on the carpet?" she said gesturing towards the gigantic blue rug that resembled the ocean with drawings of fish and seaweed on it.  
  
"Uh.carpet?" Monk said quivering, "Sharona, who knows what has sat on that??"  
  
"Relax!" she hissed, "Here, bring your chair." She gently carried his chair over to the rug.  
  
"Uh...hmm.ok yes, I think this will work." Monk said sitting down finally.  
  
Sharona clapped her hands together once everyone had sat down.  
  
"Ok everyone, my name is Ms. Fleming and this is my assistant Mr. Monk. Everybody say 'Hi Mr. Monk'"  
  
"Um, no that's ok, they don't--" Monk began.  
  
"HI MR. MONK!!" the class shouted in unison.  
  
"H-hello" he replied shyly.  
  
"He looks weird," some kid with a striped shirt in the back said.  
  
Monk looked upset.  
  
"Hey!" Sharona yelled, "Whas' yo' name kid?" she asked, her sometimes-heavy New Jersey accent kicking in. She was never one to let anyone put down her boss.only she had that privilege.  
  
"Tommy" the boy replied smugly.  
  
"Well you better watch your mouth Tommy ok? Everybody better be nice to Mr. Monk or else." Sharona said.  
  
Monk looked embarrassed.  
  
***REVIEWS PLEASE!!! AND THEN MORE WILL FOLLOW =) *** 


	3. Ch3

Sharona played a name game with the kids and then said, "Ok everyone pick a buddy. We're going to play the friend game. C'mon, go find a buddy."  
  
The kids eagerly went around the carpet finding their best friends and playmates.  
  
A quiet blond-haired little girl came up to Monk. Looking down at the carpet, she asked, "Um, would you be my buddy Mr. Monk?"  
  
Monk looked down at her in surprise, "Oh.no you don't want me as a buddy. I'm uh, well why don't you pick another kid? I'm weird.remember? You don't want me."  
  
"Please?" the little girl insisted looking up at him. Monk felt a twinge in his heart, thinking about the two little girls who had been murdered at this very school. He was about to answer when the girl said sadly, "Besides, none of the other kids will be my buddy."  
  
Monk's heart went out for her as he could easily relate to that, he smiled warmly at her. "Ok then. What's your name?"  
  
"I'm Amber" she replied happily.  
  
As soon as everyone was settled Sharona began explaining the game, "Now that you all have a buddy, I want you guys to ask each other questions. Like what's your favorite food, favorite color, things to do and stuff like that. After you guys do that, I want you to sit back down on the rug and we'll take turns talking about our buddy, ok?"  
  
The children nodded and began moving around the room talking to each other. Sharona looked over at Monk and saw that he was listening intently to Amber, she remembered her name from the name game. She had to smile. It was too cute. She would have to remember to tease Adrian later for being such a big softie.  
  
Everyone began sitting down on the carpet and Sharona let two eager girls go first.  
  
"Hi, this is my buddy Tiffany" the first girl, a red-haired short kid said, "and she likes um ice cream, and pink, and make-up!"  
  
"Very good" Sharona nodded. Tiffany introduced the other girl and then they sat down. A couple of other kids went forward and then Monk's friend Amber stood up.  
  
"I want to go!"  
  
Sharona nodded and hid her amused smile with a hand as she saw Monk's frantic expression.  
  
"No wait-" he began but Amber quickly yanked his arm and dragged him to the center of the carpet. Sharona quickly tossed him a wet wipe as he pleaded with his eyes for Sharona to save him.  
  
"Hi" Amber began quietly, "This is my friend Mr. Monk. He likes to clean- he especially likes vacuuming and mopping."  
  
The kids looked at each other thinking this guy must be from Mars. A few started snickering. Amber began getting excited, "And his favorite toy is his dustbuster!"  
  
At this the kids began laughing hysterically. Sharona thought it was best to step in at this point. Adrian looked like he was going to freak out at any moment. He hated being put on the spot.  
  
Sharona rushed over to him, "Adrian, are you ok?"  
  
"Um..wat..water!" he gasped, "I need some water."  
  
"Ok, right" Sharona rushed over to her bag on the desk and pulled out a bottle of Sierra Springs. "Here" she said handing it to him.  
  
Turning to the class she said, "Ok, snack-time!" 


	4. Ch4

RECESS 11:30AM  
  
Sharona was relieved to take the children out for recess. Snack-time had been close to a disaster with Adrian trying to wipe down 25 kids fingers with his wet wipes. And then he had insisted on windexing every desk, table, and chair before they brought out their snacks.  
  
Sharona figured some fresh air would do everybody good including Monk. But boy was she wrong. The kids eagerly ran around the playground having fun.  
  
Monk.well he ran after them with a dustbuster. Figuring enough was enough she walked over to him and snatched the toy from him.  
  
He looked at her in surprise, "Sharona.what are you doing?"  
  
"Saving the children. Adrian, why are you harassing the children with this.thing?" she asked shaking it at him.  
  
"I.I wasn't harassing them. They were leaving dirt on everything. The slides and the ..swings" he gestured. "And on the see-saw, you should have seen-"  
  
"Adrian!" Sharona cut him off. "You need to stop, ok?" You're scaring the children."  
  
"I'm not-"  
  
"Yes! Yes you are. STOP." Sharona said firmly.  
  
Adrian looked down at his feet, "Ok" he muttered.  
  
Just then they heard a child screaming his head off. Another kid came running up to Monk.  
  
"Mr. Monk! Mr. Monk! Come quick!" he yelled. Monk hurried over to where the first kid was screaming.  
  
"There's a big giant snake over there where Jamie is standing! You gotta save him!"  
  
Monk winced. He hated snakes. On his list they were about fifth in the top things he was afraid of. But this snake could be poisonous and a child's life could be at stake. Sharona had rushed over and before he could lose his nerve, Monk snatched the dustbuster out of her and with as much nerve as he could muster he charged at the snake and threw the dustbuster at its head. It instantly stopped moving.  
  
Sharona gawked at Monk. She couldn't believe he had just killed it. Like that. Without thinking. She remembered one case they'd been working on where a snake had gotten loose in a murdered victim's house and Monk had stood on the kitchen table until the snake had been located.  
  
"Yay Mr. Monk!!" a few kids started cheering. Then several others joined in until it sounded like all the kids were cheering for him. Even Tommy, the one who said he looked weird.  
  
Monk looked around at the kids. He smiled, pleased that the kids actually thought he was a hero, him, the man with more fears than hairs on his head.  
  
Jamie, the one who had first seen the snake came over to him. "Thanks Mr. Monk, for saving my life."  
  
"You-you're welcome" Monk replied.  
  
"Way to go Adrian!" Sharona patted him on the back, as they headed inside.  
  
"Thanks Sharona" he smiled gratefully at her.  
  
"Yeah, you know it was kind of sexy how you just took charge like that."  
  
"What??" Monk said in shock but Sharona had walked quickly ahead of him talking to the kids.  
  
He cocked his head in surprise. He couldn't believe what Sharona had just said. Him, sexy? Maybe she didn't mean it.  
  
She looked back at him, catching his gaze and smiled, lifting an eyebrow knowingly. Suddenly Monk felt something stir in his heart. Sharona always knew how to make him feel good.  
  
********** 1:30 PM  
  
Somehow it was time for the kids to load up on their buses and Monk had made it through the day. He tentatively helped the kids put their backpacks on. One kid had a backpack that was bigger than he was and he was struggling to put it on himself. Monk had felt he'd already done his duty by helping one kid out and didn't want to touch any more of them. Sharona was busy helping another little girl out when she noticed the boy about to topple over.  
  
"Mr. Monk?" Sharona said.  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Uh, you mind helping out Jason there?" she replied gesturing to the kid with the oversized backpack who was starting to fall over. "I'm kinda busy with Melody here."  
  
"Wahh!!" Jason cried as he fell backwards on his bottom. Monk went over to him and gingerly put him upright again.  
  
"Thanks Mr. Monk! You're the best!" Jason gave him a big smile. Sharona looked over at them and smiled at him too.  
  
"Oh..no Jason.you're the BEST." Monk replied trying to give him a thumbs-up sign but only succeeding in making himself look ridiculous. Sharona ushered the last kid out of the classroom and walked over to Monk.  
  
"Man, I am beat" she said flopping down into one of the tiny plastic chairs.  
  
"Oh yeah" Monk nodded, "Same here."  
  
Sharona looked at him, "Ya know Adrian? I'm real proud of you. Ninety- nine percent of the day you were getting on my nerves. But the other one percent .well you were pretty cool. And helpful. Thank you." She smiled gratefully at him.  
  
Monk nodded, "Uh Sharona, what you said earlier about." he began but he noticed Sharona had put her head down on the Legos table and was now breathing softly. He had wanted to bring up the comment she had made earlier about him being sexy. But he didn't want to disturb her now. She looked so peaceful.  
  
He drew in a sharp breath. He wanted badly to reach out and touch her soft blond hair.  
  
Where did that thought come from?  
  
He had never thought about Sharona in a romantic way before. Of course he had always thought she was pretty.beautiful actually. And he wouldn't be able to say he had a pulse if he hadn't noticed that she often wore revealing clothing.  
  
But he had never really thought about her in that sense.  
  
Nah, it was just the elements of a stressful day coming down on him. Making him delusional, that's all.  
  
But he still wanted to touch her hair.  
  
Hesitantly, he reached out and gently held one of her curls in his hand.  
  
So shiny and smooth.  
  
Suddenly Sharona stirred and Monk jumped.  
  
She quickly lifted her head up, "Adrian? What are you doing?"  
  
"Uh there uh.was a hair.on your head" he said stupidly.  
  
Sharona looked at him absurdly, "Uh yeah, I have a lot of those."  
  
"No-I.um it wasn't your hair you know. It was just some random hair." He said looking away, very flustered now.  
  
"Ooo-kay" Sharona nodded staring at him. She gave him a look but he still wouldn't meet her eyes.  
  
He got up suddenly as an idea struck him, "I'll-be back in a few minutes." He said quickly and rushed out the door. Sharona continued cleaning up, he must have just put his detective cap back on and she would be most helpful by letting him do his thing.  
  
******** OUTSIDE  
  
Monk decided to go poking around outside where the snake had been found. He had suddenly thought that maybe it wasn't just a coincidence they had found it on a crowded playground but that it had been deliberately planted there. He heard a mower start and looked up to see the groundskeeper about to start cutting the grass. The groundskeeper lifted a hand in a wave and Monk waved back.  
  
Returning to the scene he looked down hoping to find a clue of some sort. He walked around the field for a few minutes finding nothing, and frowned. The snake's body had been removed. But no one but the kids in Sharona's class knew about it yet. Puzzled, he turned and went inside.  
  
************************** THE NEXT MORNING 8:48 AM  
  
Monk was helping Sharona by organizing the teaching materials she had brought for the lesson plan. He picked up a case of Play-Doh.  
  
"Um Sharona, are we going to use this?" he held up the case of Play-Doh. "Because.I-I can't touch this stuff."  
  
Sharona snatched the Play-Doh out of his hand. "No Adrian, YOU don't have to touch it. It's for the kids."  
  
Adrian kept on going, "Because you know it's really too squishy ...for words," he made a face at that. "and though they say it's non-toxic you never know. I mean maybe even the kids shouldn't-"  
  
Sharona interrupted him, "Adrian! Look why don't you go talk to the kids' parents over there" she said pointing to the door, "Because it's too early for you to be getting on my nerves."  
  
"But I-"  
  
"Go." Sharona said firmly and shoved him over to the door.  
  
Adrian stumbled almost tripping into a beautiful tall brunette with legs that didn't quit. Embarrassed, he up-righted himself.  
  
"Hello" he said politely.  
  
"Hi there' the brunette replied in a sexy low voice. "You must be new," she said looking him up and down, quite obviously checking him out.  
  
Monk was unaware of this and said, "Yes, I am.my-my name is Adrian Monk. I'm Ms. Fleming's bos-" he started to say 'boss' and caught himself. Shaking his head at the thought of saying it, he said, "-assistant. I'm her assistant."  
  
The brunette nodded, "My name's Cassandra. My kid's name is Bobby."  
  
Monk nodded in recognition, "Ah yes Bobby. Very clean and neat, good kid."  
  
"So, Mr. Monk.I hear you're the 'hero' around here. Bobby says you saved the day yesterday."" Cassandra said leaning closer to him.  
  
Monk shook his head, "Oh no, I'm not a hero.pssh I'm not even a side-kick."  
  
The brunette laughed heartily, "Oh Mr. Monk, you're too cute!" she cried putting a hand on his shoulder.  
  
Monk flinched and blushed profusely, "I.I think you're mistaken."  
  
Suddenly the brunette was pushed aside as three other moms inched in on Monk talking loudly. "Oh look Cheryl!!" A woman screeched in a New York accent, "It's that new teacher Rachel told us about."  
  
Monk tightened his neck at the sound of her voice.  
  
Cheryl got a good look at him, "Ohmygosh Betti! Look at him, he's so CUTE!" She said it loud enough for Monk and half of San Francisco to hear her. Monk began to get very uncomfortable.  
  
"Hiii there" Betti purred at him and Cheryl giggled, "I'm single" she winked at him. Monk tried to back away but he found himself pinned against the wall.  
  
Suddenly Sharona was pushing her way through the 'mom crowd' and Monk was never happier to see her.  
  
"Sharona!" he cried, "HELP!"  
  
"Come on" she said and grabbed him by his sleeve.  
  
"How can I ever repay you?" he gazed at her as she rescued him from the sticky grasps of the single and even the married mothers.  
  
"HEY!" the women cried as he was dragged away.  
  
"Sorry ladies" Sharona said, "Class is starting now."  
  
The women grumbled in response and began filing out.  
  
Monk thought he heard one woman say "Cute buns" on the way out and he felt his face redden.  
  
"Thank you, Sharona. You're-" Adrian began when Sharona interrupted him.  
  
"You stud." She said punching him in the arm and giving him a smile as she walked off.  
  
"I am not!" he protested as he followed her. 


	5. Ch5

************** CAPTAIN'S OFFICE-THAT AFTERNOON  
  
"So give me the heads up" Capt. Stottlemeyer said to Sharona and Monk.  
  
"Well the only thing that has occurred was the snake incident. I can't think of anyone with-a motive though. And he's only struck the one time." Monk said as he walked toward the Captain's desk straightening his paperwork.  
  
"Monk?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Stop straightening my desk, PLEASE."  
  
"S-sorry. Habits, you know." Monk said sheepishly.  
  
"Right, well I want you two to report back to me if you think of anything. ANYTHING." The Captain stressed.  
  
"We surely will." Sharona said as she noticed Adrian dusting the blinds with a wet wipe. "C'MON Adrian, we've taken up enough of the CAPTAIN's time." She said as she dragged him away from his cleaning.  
  
As they walked out into the hall Sharona said, "Let's go get some ice cream."  
  
"Uh no-I don't think so" Monk shook his head. "Soo-sticky and messy."  
  
"I don't care. I feel like some. Right now." Sharona replied and yanked him out of the station.  
  
IN THE CAR  
  
Monk grumbled about the ice cream outing the whole way there.  
  
"What's with you Adrian?" Sharona asked, "You seem so irritated lately. Stuff is bothering you--way more than usual I mean," she said noticing his expression.  
  
Monk looked at her for a second and then looked away, "It's nothing." He replied quietly.  
  
Sharona glanced at him and then returned her eyes to the road. "You wanna talk about it?"  
  
"Not right now" he said and looked out the passenger window.  
  
Sharona nodded, "Ok then. Well here we are," she said as she pulled in.  
  
A FEW MINUTES LATER  
  
"Come on" Sharona enticed Adrian with a delicious-looking chocolate sprinkled cone. She waved it in front of his face.  
  
"No no-I can't. It's just too sticky." Monk complained.  
  
"Oh come on, I haven't even licked it yet. And look!" Sharona held up the cone, "I have a napkin around the cone so technically I haven't even touched it yet."  
  
Monk hesitated, "Well-" he cocked his head to one side, "I could-I mean I sup-pose."  
  
"Oh just take it!" Sharona shoved it into his hand. Sharona started licking her own cone and Monk, for several moments couldn't help but study the way her tongue moved over the ice cream.  
  
"Adrian!" Sharona called to him snapping him out of his trance.  
  
"What?! I wasn't staring at your tongue! Uh, I mean-what?" Monk stuttered babbling some more, "I wasn't doing anything!"  
  
Sharona lifted an eyebrow, "-uh huh-well Adrian, I was just going to say go ahead and try your ice cream before it melts all over your shoes. But you seem to have OTHER things on your mind, so-"  
  
Monk stared at the cone in his hand, "I-I can't eat this right now. I-" Monk began to say something and stopped. He handed the drippy cone back to Sharona as she gave him a look of disgust.  
  
"Um, Adrian, what's wrong?" Sharona said as she threw the cone away, "You look like you need to tell me something." She stared concerned into his pained-looking face.  
  
He looked into her eyes suddenly with such - truthfulness that Sharona was un-nerved. His deep brown eyes looked crystal clear and Sharona realized he was almost at the point of tears.  
  
"Sharona-I can't. I-" He suddenly changed his mind and said, "I've uh been you know thinking about you." He said their eyes still interlocked.  
  
"Oh, well I think about you too. Ya know, cause I see you everyday," Sharona replied matter of factly.  
  
"I-I know. But I mean more than that." Monk finished with difficulty. Sharona stepped back from him, "Oh my-I . . ." she stopped utterly shocked and not knowing what to say.  
  
"I . . . really can't stop thinking about you. I mean I know it's sudden to say this" he said.  
  
"Adrian, we've known each other for four years, I hardly think that's sudden." Sharona said smartly.  
  
" I-I know that Sharona. I mean to just come out of the blue and say it." He looked down at the ground, "Uh, I understand if you don't feel like I do. . . I mean how could anyone . . . I mean ME of all people and-"  
  
"Hey, shhh." Sharona put up her hand. She set her own melting cone down on a table and gestured, "C'mere."  
  
"Me?" he pointed at himself.  
  
"Yes YOU, you dope! Who else am I talking to?"  
  
Adrian walked towards her slowly, "Wha-what are you going to do?" he asked hesitantly.  
  
"Well, first this" Sharona said and put her arms around his waist.  
  
Monk swallowed.  
  
"Is this ok?" she asked.  
  
He nodded shakily, trying to push away his fears of being touched.  
  
"And then. . . " Sharona pulled him in close to her and laid her head down on his shoulder.  
  
"How we doin'?" she asked after a few moments.  
  
"Ff-fine," Monk stuttered, his face flushed.  
  
"And now. . . " Sharona lifted her head up and gently placed her hands behind Monk's head running her fingers through his hair.  
  
Monk stiffened a little and Sharona pulled his head down until she could look him in the eyes. "Still okay?" she whispered huskily, looking into his eyes.  
  
"Ooohh yeah. . . just fine" he gasped lying through his teeth.  
  
She gently brought his head towards her until his lips met hers. Slowly, ever so slowly, Monk warmed to her touch and responded by kissing her back lightly and delicately. Sharona sighed, his lips felt so good. She suddenly felt lightheaded and almost started to tip backwards when Adrian's strong arms grasped her tightly and he began to deepen the kiss. She was pressed against him and they were soon kissing each other passionately. He had responded to her like a man on fire and tentatively put his hands through her silky hair and felt the love he had for Sharona poured into his kisses.  
  
Gasping, Sharona pulled away after several long moments of kissing, unbelievably breathless.  
  
"WOW. Who knew??" she exclaimed, "We should have tried this sooner!"  
  
"I-I didn't expect that. 'Wow' is definitely the right word," he replied reaching into his suitpocket.  
  
"Adrian, you pull out a wet wipe and I'm gonna kill ya," Sharona stated.  
  
"Sorry" he replied and rubbed his hand over his mouth slightly.  
  
Sharona glanced at him, "Whadda you say. . .you wanna come over for awhile?"  
  
Monk gulped, "Um, maybe. But just for a bit." He said suddenly feeling very weak in the knees. 


	6. Ch6

SHARONA'S PLACE  
  
Monk found himself scared to death wondering what he was doing going over to Sharona's-not for a case, no not this time, not for dinner. At least not yet. . . then what. . . so things might precede further between them?  
  
Well, he knew for certain he wasn't ready or willing for that matter for things to go much farther than they already had.  
  
Sharona interrupted his thoughts by squeezing his hand once before digging into her purse for her keys. She opened the door and Adrian followed her into the kitchen. Just then Benjy entered.  
  
"Mr. Monk!" he shouted happily.  
  
"Hey. . . hey Benjy," Monk nodded to him. He was always pleased to see Benjy-one of the few who accepted him as he was-no questions asked.  
  
"Finish your homework?" Sharona asked him.  
  
"Yep" he said grabbing an apple from the counter. He was about to put his mouth on it when Monk shouted,  
  
"WAIT!"  
  
Monk raced over and grabbed the apple and ran it under the sink for a full minute before handing it back to Benjy.  
  
"What??" Monk responded to the stares from Sharona and Benjy. "Do you know what kind of pesticides they use on fruit trees? Not to mention all the bugs that probably landed on it on it's truck ride to the grocery store. And-"  
  
"Adrian, spare us the lecture," Sharona interrupted him, "we believe you."  
  
"Thanks Mr. Monk," Benjy replied and took a bite from the gleaming apple.  
  
Sharona shook her head. He was still the same Monk. Even though he had put his mouth to hers. . . She smiled remembering their kiss.  
  
"What are you smilin' about Mom?" Benjy asked through a mouthful of apple.  
  
"Ohh. . . nothing," she replied directing her smile to Monk in a flirtatious manner.  
  
Monk's eyes widened.  
  
Benjy looked back and forth between the two of them. Obviously something was going on here.  
  
"Ok, right. Well I'm going to my room for awhile," Benjy said with a smirk.  
  
"Ok Honey, I'll call you when dinner's ready," Sharona called after him. She turned to look at Adrian and saw his face looking thoughtful and sad.  
  
"Hey, you ok?"  
  
"Yeah. I was just thinking. . .about Trudy," Monk sighed.  
  
"Oh Adrian," Sharona gently placed her hands on his smooth cheek, "look at me." Monk refused, his eyes cast downwards.  
  
"Adrian, LOOK at me," Sharona said firmly and he slowly lifted his soft brown eyes to meet her clear blue ones. "Nobody and I mean nobody including me will ever take Trudy's place. Do you understand Adrian? I wouldn't ever try to do that to you."  
  
Monk nodded, "I understand. Thanks Sharona.um I'm sorry. I uh have my moments you know?" "Of course Adrian. You're a one of a kind," She replied rubbing his back gently.  
  
Monk smiled, closing his eyes at Sharona's gesture, "Mmm. . .feels nice."  
  
"Oh I have . . ." Sharona smiled wickedly, "OTHER ways of making you feel nice."  
  
Monk gulped, "Uh Sharona, I don't think that's such a good--"  
  
"I'm making chicken potpie tonight," Sharona explained, she looked over at Monk, "Geez what'd you think I was talkin' about?"  
  
Monk laughed nervously, "Oh. . . nothing, heh heh."  
  
He paused, "You're making chicken potpie? But it's not Tuesday."  
  
"I know. Just thought it'd be nice," she replied.  
  
Monk walked over to her timidly and bent down to kiss her gently on the cheek. "Thanks."  
  
Sharona felt the side of her face go numb and put her hand up to it, "Anytime," she said dreamily.  
  
******* Sitting down for dinner with Monk and Benjy, Sharona said a prayer and they began eating. Monk had around him three different plates-one for green beans, one for mashed potatoes, and one of potpie.  
  
Usually Monk could devote his full attention to his potpie but tonight he couldn't help but keep sneaking glances over at Sharona.  
  
She was so beautiful. Everything about her he loved. Even her temper which he saw often enough.  
  
Suddenly, with shocking reality, his mind drifted to the case. A child killer was still at large. The thought made him sick.  
  
He looked over at Benjy who was happily gorging himself on mashed potatoes. The thought that Benjy might be in danger created a lump in his throat. He suddenly felt the urge to solve this case as soon as possible.  
  
He abruptly got up from the table and walked into the living room.  
  
Something was nagging him in the back of his mind. Something about the snake's body missing and the fact that nobody saw anything or anyone unusual during the time of Bethany and Julie's murders. Sharona wandered into the living room, "Adrian, you feeling ok?"  
  
Monk was walking around the room, lost in his Monk World.  
  
"The playground," he muttered, "the grounds. . . yes! I've got it!" he exclaimed.  
  
Sharona smiled. 


	7. Ch7

AT THE STATION  
  
After the arrest of the groundskeeper of Wade Elementary, Monk gathered everyone around to explain it.  
  
He began, "My first thought was why had nobody noticed this stranger on the school grounds? Schools have been heavily under security lately and this school was no exception. Plus, the murders occurred shortly after school got out, a busy time for sure. My second thought was this killer must have been someone these girls knew or were familiar with. Possibly someone who worked at the school.  
  
I also wondered why on the day we found the snake, the body had been removed? No one had been told to remove it as I was going to go back out there and investigate after school was out. And when I did get a chance to go back out I saw the groundskeeper out there.  
  
The snake itself was interesting. I memorized it's exact markings and color and was able to deduce it was an exotic snake found only in the African desert. And highly poisonous at that. One bite into that little boy would have probably killed him."  
  
Sharona shivered, remembering the close call that day.  
  
Monk continued, "And back to the groundskeeper, I shared my suspicions with the Captain and we did a background check on this man. No criminal record but this man was a face in the news. Two years ago his daughter was attending Wade Elementary. Turns out the kid had been sitting in the bleachers in the gym with her mother during a PTA meeting. The bleachers collapsed and everyone was able to make it to safety before they did except his wife and kid who had been sitting at the very top.  
  
So he put the blame not on the school for faulty equipment but on the other parents who had not been able to save his family. Hence, his vendetta against their children. And the principal who hired him as groundskeeper didn't think it odd that he wanted to work here because the present principal had come the year after the accident and had no idea he was connected.  
  
So figuring we had enough on him for a search warrant, Sharona and I. . . " he smiled softly at her, "went into his house along with the Captain. And we found a complete listing of all the parents who had been there that night and a list of their children still attending the school, tacked up on his living room wall. Complete with checkmarks next to who'd already been killed. Oh and of course we found a tank with a very special kind of African snake in it."  
  
"Good job Monk," the Captain said nodding to him, "You too Sharona."  
  
"Thanks. . ." Sharona replied but her gaze was locked onto Adrian's. She walked over to him swinging her hips slightly, and gave him a sexy smile.  
  
Monk looked up at her nervously. For the first time he noticed how good she looked today. Her silky blue top clung to her and ended about two inches above her waistline. She was wearing hip-hugging, straight-lined black slacks and smart looking chunky shoes.  
  
"But it was all Adrian," Sharona said finishing her sentence and running a finger along his jawline.  
  
Monk shifted uncomfortably in his seat, "Sharonaaa. . ." he whispered embarrassed.  
  
The Captain and Randy exchanged glances.  
  
"Uh. . .What's going on-" Randy began but was interrupted by Sharona.  
  
"Adrian and I . . .have to uh go now. C'mon Sweetie," she said and slipped her arm between his.  
  
'Sweetie??' The Captain mouthed to Randy. Randy shrugged looking bewildered.  
  
"Um. . .yeah. We're going now. We're uh going to the mall." Monk replied, looking a little scared at the thought.  
  
"You? In a mall??" Randy burst out laughing.  
  
"Hey listen, Smartypants," Sharona began.  
  
The Captain interjected, "Uh Monk you feeling okay?" he asked looking confused.  
  
"Just-just fine," he turned to Sharona, "Shall we. . . D-Darling?"  
  
Sharona beamed at him, "Of course."  
  
The Captain looked stunned, any normal man who would try to call Sharona 'darling' would have gotten a swift punch in the face.  
  
Monk and Sharona exited the room and down the hall you could hear Sharona say, "You pulled out a wet wipe to open the door, that's SO cute Honeybuns!"  
  
Randy and the Captain stared at each other a moment and then busted out laughing.  
  
"Well. . . " the Captain said with tears in his eyes, "I think they deserve each other."  
  
LATER-MONK'S PLACE  
  
Sharona sat next to Monk curled up on his couch. She laid her head on his sturdy strong shoulder and breathed in his fresh wintergreen aftershave scent. He gently put his arm around her shoulder and held her close.  
  
"We're going to have to inform the Captain and Randy about us. They still think we're crazy," Sharona giggled. "Their faces today were hilarious."  
  
Monk smiled, "Yeah that was funny. Randy looked kind of like a monkey with his mouth hanging open like that."  
  
Sharona looked up at him, "Adrian! You made a joke, I'm so proud of you."  
  
"Oh no. . . you must be rubbing off on me," he replied worriedly, "but in a good way!" he answered quickly as Sharona swatted him with a pillow.  
  
Monk got quiet for a moment, "What about Benjy? I wouldn't want to um date you if he didn't like it."  
  
"That's very sweet of you, but no worries. I've already talked with him about it. He's perfectly fine with it. You have nothing to worry about Adrian, he thinks the world of you. And so do I." She finished looking up at him.  
  
Monk looked away, embarrassed by the compliment.  
  
"Hey. . ." Sharona said with a gleam in her eye, "remember when we were running through that scene in BLOOD ON THE MOON? And you did that character. . . so roughly?"  
  
"Uh yeah-why?" Monk asked suspiciously.  
  
"It was really sexy. You were so. . . manly."  
  
"Well," Monk began, "I could resurrect him." He lowered his voice to a husky tone and gave it a slight Southern accent. He cocked his head to one side, "Heyyy Cuz."  
  
"Oh that's perfect!" Sharona squealed, "Come here Adrian!" She yanked his shirt collar towards her and pushed her lips to his in a sealed embrace.  
  
THE END  
  
"All I want to do is be there for the things that you're going through Well is it good for you? Good for you? 'Cause you warm the nights when I don't know where my life should go Well is it good for you? Good for you?" ---Third Eye Blind "Good for You"  
  
-----Thanks guys for all the wonderful reviews!! It really helps and inspires me. If you've read and haven't yet reviewed, PLEASE don't let me stop you =) 


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